time..time..time..

So, a couple days ago I accomplished something that has been on my to-do list for, oh, say about six months. I cleaned my oven. Actually the dumb thing cleans itself. So for about five hours it produced extremely intense heat; It was like a sunspot in my kitchen, but with temps in the low 20s we actually kind of enjoyed that. The smell was mildly unpleasant, but no worse than the dogs when it's been raining or something. Actually not even that bad.
SO, after the oven completed it's five hour cycle of burning to a crisp nine or so months of drippings and french fry shards and the like, it was my turn! I spent approximately fifteen minutes vacuuming and wiping out the ashes and for good measure I spent another ten minutes vacuuming the drawer beneath the oven. For a total of about twenty five minutes effort. Which brings me to my question: Why do I put something off for sooooo long that really requires very little time and energy? I think I may be lazy. I hate thinking of myself that way, but I don't know what else would drive me to procrastinate so.
My new plan is this: I will" time" all unsavory activities so when I need to talk myself into a task, I will know exactly the commitment that will be required. For instance, did you know it takes me 45 seconds to empty my dish drainer? Even when it's piled really high! I can empty the drainer and still have time to goof off every evening!
I will continue monitering the time requirements of "Crappy Chores" and keep my list updated.

music to soothe

James Taylor. This may be my favorite song of all time. It makes me happy.

The Best Friend I Never Had

I have lost a good friend. He was someone that I never really met,yet I had contact with him every single day. Emails, comments on photos..song dedications from you tube. It has been so strange trying to figure a way to grieve someone that you really didn't know,so since it was a cyberspace loss.....I thought I would work through it in the same place the relationship existed. Right here.
I never heard Dave's voice. I never saw his profile or heard his footfall. I don't know what he smelled like. Old Spice? LifeBuoy? Old Person? Onions?
What I do know is: he was kind, giving, had a nutty sense of humor. Loved all music, but had a special fondness for opera. Was extremely proud of his ancestry. Loved his family. Had adored his Mother. Served in the Army. Owned a greenhouse at one time. Graduated from Cornell. Was born in Ossining,NY. Did not like dogs!( never heard the story on that one).Liked to ride a bicycle. Loved to take photographs. Cooked...real food like stuffed peppers and grilled chicken. Drank a beer on occasion. Watched sports on television and really enjoyed college sports.

I'm glad I got to know him the little bit that I did. He made life more fun for me for a brief period. It's probable that I saw an opportunity for a father figure in him,but I don't care. He did remind me of my dad in some ways. He even had a SuperPickle!
I have been working on this post for several weeks and I believe that it's doing for me what I wanted it to. This is my chance to give a cyber send-off to a cyber friend.
Good bye Dave. Thanks for the fun memories! I'm a better person having known you!


Below is a copy of the article from The Park Seed Company's web page and includes the eulogy that Dave's friend Klaus wrote for the visitation.

More about "SISUDave" Anderson

It has long been the case that the ripples of our lives reach much farther than we realize. And in this world of blogs and email and websites, it's truer than ever.

Today, I found out just how true that is for Dave Anderson, the retired Park Seed Company horticulturist who passed away this week. There's a tribute to Dave's in a Baltimore-based blog. The author, Jeff Quinton, never actually met Dave, but they became friends in cyberspace, thanks to Dave's Flickr contributions. The little picture of Dave shown here was his signature image on Flickr.

Of course, those who knew Dave personally for years have very special memories of him. Take, for example, Klaus Neubner, retired Park Seed president. He and Dave because close friends, sharing their commitment to keeping Greenwood's parks green and beautiful. Klaus wrote a moving eulogy that Dave's nephew, Peter Anderson, read at the visitation. To read Klaus's eulogy--and find out why Dave's screen name was SISUDAVE--

Eulogy

Here is a typical phone call to Dave Anderson:

"Hello, Dave!"

"Hello, Klaus--what's up today?"

"Well, it's not supposed to rain today and tomorrow. It's a good time to spray Kudzu at the Rock Creek Trail. What day would suit you?"

"I don't care."

"Okay, let's do it tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 9 in the morning."

We had a conversation like that practically every week for the last 9 years. Only the type of work and location would change.

When I asked Dave to help maintain parks and trails in Greenwood on his retirement from Park Seed, he hesitated a little. But soon he saw how well the gardening activities suited him. We fell into an easy rhythm, discussed briefly what needed to be done, and just did it. A long lunch afterward was a given. Mig's was a favorite spot where we would often run into folks from Park Seed. Soon, Dave joined God's Gardeners at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

He loved to talk about his far-flung family, and going to Finland meeting his relatives was a highlight. After that, his license plate always read SISU, a Finish word meaning spirit, élan, pep, and power.

I was astonished by how many friends he made on the Internet. He would email with them constantly--some would even come to visit him, and off they went to Floriday or somewhere.

One day, he took up photography. He learned how to post his pictures on the Internet site Flickr, and we owe our collection of Medieval Garden flower pictures to him. Dave never went anywhere without his camera, even into the movie theatre. He got a scare when the police tapped him on the shoulder and motioned him out. It turned out he was suspected of videotaping the show in order to sell copies. He laughed about it when he told the tale, but it was most embarrassing to him at the time.

We talked about what would happen when the end came. Dave hoped it would come quickly. He did not want to linger, as so many he saw at the VA hospital. God granted him his wish. I'm glad to have had his friendship for so many years. He will be irreplaceable to me.

By Klaus Neubner, December 12, 2007

I'm a badass!

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

Brrr

The high temp today was 15F.
that's all I have to say about that right now.

:o)

?

I just have one question.

Why on earth does the Federal Government care if cable television
is analog or digital.

OK maybe two questions.

How is that any of their business?

Puzzling stuff..

accidental, adventitious, aimless, arbitrary, casual, chance, incidcontingent, designless, desultory, driftless, fluky, fortuitous, hit-or-miss

• I will not use the word random. It's overused enough already!

• I am entirely too old for excessive drama...maybe I always have been,but now it takes me days to recover..

• I think I may possibly be allergic to winter! My eyes are nearly puffed closed ..Oh spring where art thou?

• I have been a "kinder, gentler Mary for 20 days now!
  

• I truly feel lonely...( self pity?)

• I miss Dave still

• Yesterday I engaged in retail therapy on Ebay and Amazon....I am now the future owner of 2 pair of Born shoes, 1 pair of Timberland shoes and 1 pair of I can't remember what brand. Also...2 new mysterys by Iris Johannson, 1 poetry book by Rilke, and one political stuff book.

• The whole mess was less than $100 , so I feel pretty good about it.

• I really MUST accomplish something real today!
  

• think I'll start with a shower!
  

sometimes it seems so difficult to follow the prescribed path.. the words required are slow to come.and sometimes the reactions are purely emotional. how to turn the intellect up and the emotion down.

Over Forty

I read this on a friend's post awhile back. Sometimes I pull it out and read it just for a little morale booster. Today I read it twice.....


As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off that you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

Readability

I'm so sure...sheesh

The Playoffs

Today is IT! The day that Richard D and Richard P Flynn square off in the living room at Flynn Lodge to encourage (probably very loudly) their team of choice to victory. In one corner Richard D will be cheering on The San Diego Chargers, cursing the Charger's management for ditching Marty Schottenheimer and praying for Phillip Rivers (who he thinks should be dumped)
In Richard P's (commonly referred to as Ricky) corner, Ricky will be smugly referring to Peyton Manning as Indy's "Luke Skywalker" to the Patriot's "Brady Vadar". Any really good plays that the Charger's execute will be marked down in Ricky's playbook as pure luck.
In the end the two Richards will come together, because the bottom line is it's not who wins the game....this week. They will be joined together at the Super Bowl in good sportsmanlike cheering. Because at Flynn Lodge, we don't care WHO wins the Super Bowl ! As long as it isn't The New England Pariots.

If at first you don't succeed..

My second attempt to blog...
We'll see how this goes.